I
feel that we need to continue to look very closely at how the Founders
viewed education and the inclusion of the Christian religion and it’s
principles into that educational process because it is the foundation
for the greatness of America. Our Founders knew that true wisdom comes
from God and that it is from the study of His Word that brings that
wisdom. They knew and understood the importance of spiritual knowledge
and how that knowledge translated into wisdom for prosperous living
on earth. Because they believed that it was necessary to have revelation
of God’s Word they had laid the foundation of attaining that knowledge
in our education system. Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning[a]
of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction[1]
The Founders understood and believed that the most important knowledge
was knowledge of God and His ways and from that direction and understanding
for living a healthy, prosperous life flowed:

Proverbs
3:6-10… In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy
paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from
evil. It shall be healthc to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour
the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst
out with new wine.[2]

From
these verses we see the importance of knowing and understanding God’s
Word and His principles which is something that the Founders knew and
understood as well. As we have discussed previously the modern courts
have used the First Amendment to limit religious activities where the
Founders used the First Amendment to secure religious activities, specifically
in schools. From the beginning of our education system the Bible was
the preeminent in the schools. It was the book used for instruction
and was allowed in schools until 1963. I will have to point out here
that as the freedoms of the church and the right to exercise our Christian
faith have been eroded, the church has done nothing to regain them.
They complained a little when we could no longer be properly involved
in the political process but they did not fight. They complained a little
when prayer was taken out of the schools but they did not fight. When
the Bible was taken out of the schools they complained but did not fight.
Now we have laws that make it illegal in some states to even print a
Bible.[3]
This has yet to be enforced but it is still a law.

This
has all occurred because the basis for our education, the teaching of
God’s Word has been usurped by secular humanism. The importance
of God and His principles have been degraded to a level of secondary
importance at best if it has any importance at all. In the first few
months of this year (2011) we have seen Christian beliefs and principles
viciously attacked by our public schools and colleges. A few of the
headlines are: ”U.S. teachers tell U.N. sex is a ‘spectrum’
— advocate mandatory classes to free students from ‘religion’”

This
assumption that religious principles, specifically Christian principles,
were not to be part of our education system is completely and utterly
unfounded. As it had been part of the school system from the Mayflower
until 1963, we need to go back to the first time an attempt was made
to remove Christian teachings from a school.

This
case is from 1844, Vidal v. Girard’s Executors, and involved the
probation of the will of Stephen Girard. Girard had settled in Philadelphia
prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence and was living
there upon his death in 1831. In his will he bequeathed his entire estate
to the city, a value of over $7 million, for the purpose of building
an orphanage and a college. The only stipulation was that there would
be no religious teaching nor clergy be allowed in the school. This had
never been proposed before in America. Girard’s heirs filed a
suit in opposition to the execution of the will for two reasons: 1)
that a private will could not be given to a public entity; and 2) that
as a provision for the college, Girard had stipulated in his will:

I
enjoin and require that no ecclesiastical, missionary, or minister of
any sect whatsoever, shall ever hold or exercise any station of duty
whatever in the said college; or as a visitor, within the premises.
. . . My desire is that all the instructors and teachers in the college
shall take pains to instill in the minds of the scholars the purist
principles of morality.[4]

This
was an unheard of request to not teach Christian principles, combined
with wanting to teach “the purist principles of morality”
without teaching Christian principles. The Founders believed that it
was only Christian principles that produced the purest morals.

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Benjamin
Franklin stated: “As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom
you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His religion
as He left them to us the best the world ever saw or is likely to see.”[5]
(Emphasis added) Noah Webster stated: “The Christian religion…
is the basis, or rather the source, of all genuine freedom in government…
I am persuaded that no civil government of a republican form can exist
and be durable in which the principles of Christianity have not a controlling
influence.”[6]
In the 1815 case of The Commonwealth v. Sharpless, a case which involved
the private viewing of painting of a nude male and a nude female in
an ‘indecent posture’, the case was decided on what was
referred to as ‘the moral law.’[7]
Believing that even immorality behind closed doors is still a crime.
Part of the court’s decision stated:

Whatever
tends to the destruction of morality in general is punished criminally.
Crimes are public offences not because they are perpetrated publicly,
but because their effect is to injure the public. Burglary, though done
in secret, is a public offence; and secretly destroying fences is indictable.
. . hence, it follows that an offence may be punishable if in its nature
and by its example it tends to the corruption of morals; although it
be not committed in public.[8]

This ‘moral law’ is bases solely on Biblical principles.
The proof of the basis of the ‘moral law’ can be seen in
a court case two years later in 1846, City of Charleston v. Benjamin,
a case concerning the legitimacy of ‘Blue Laws’ which was
the requirement to close businesses on Sunday. The case was defended
because the laws were based on Christian principles and that was a violation
of the Constitution. The prosecution believed that it was not unconstitutional
stating:

Christianity
is a part of the common law of the land, with liberty of conscience
to all. It has always been so recognized. . . . If Christianity is a
part of the common law, it’s disturbance is punishable at common
law. The U. S. Constitution allows it as a part of the common law. The
President is allowed ten days to sign a bill, with the exception of
Sunday. The Legislature does not sit, public office is closed, and the
Government recognizes the day in all things. . . . The observance of
Sunday is one of the usages of the common law recognized by our U.S.
and State Governments. . . Christianity has reference to the principle
of right and wrong . . . it is the foundation of those morals and manners
upon which our society is formed; it is their basis. Remove this and
they would fall. . . . it [morality] has grown upon the basis of Christianity.
[9](Emphasis
added)

Charles
Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, confirmed that
all morality is based in the Christian religion:

Without
morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore
who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime
and pure. . . are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best
security for the duration of free governments. [10](Emphasis added)

I
could quote one Founder after another concerning the importance of the
Christian principles of morality and the importance that they felt it
has in civil society by government and to be endorsed by the courts.
Because this was their belief all school children from 1690 were taught
using the New England Primer, which we discussed in the last chapter.

It
is easy to understand why religion was such a large part of their lives
privately as well as publically. Children learned to live morally at
an early age. This was done by design. The pilgrims know that teaching
children early would instill these values at a young age and they would
always remember them. They also knew that this was a Biblical principle:
Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when
he is old, he will not depart from it.”[11]

George
Washington grew up on The New England Primer. When he was leaving public
office he declared:

Reason
and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail
in exclusion of religious principle. . . . Promote, then, as an object
of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge.
[12]

Gouverneur
Morris, penman and signer of the Constitution stated:

Religion
is the only solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach
the precepts of religion and the duties of man towards God. [13]

Benjamin
Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence also believed that education
should be grounded in religion. Keeping in mind that he was referencing
Christianity as he was a founding member of Philadelphia Bible Society
and a proponent of teaching the Bible in schools,(The great enemy of
salvation of man, in my opinion, never invented a more effectual means
of extirpating (extinguishing) Christianity from the world than by persuading
mankind that it was improper to read the Bible in schools)[14]
stated:

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The
only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in
religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there
can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican
governments.[15]
Without religion, I believe that learning does real mischief to the
morals and principles of mankind.[16]

How
can we ignore the importance that our Founders put on learning about
Christianity in our schools? It was the rock that they grew up on and
the foundation that gave them the principles of government that has
lasted 235 years. Today we are so far from what our Founders intended
for society and nation that we are in danger of losing the great American
experiment.

Pastor Roger
Anghis is the Founder of RestoreFreeSpeech.org, an organization designed
to draw attention to the need of returning free speech rights to churches
that was restricted in 1954.

President of
The Damascus Project, TheDamascusProject.org,
which has a stated purpose of teaching pastors and lay people the need
of the churches involvement in the political arena and to teach the
historical role of Christianity in the politics of the United States.
Married-37 years, 3 children, three grandchildren.

Benjamin Franklin
stated: “As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly
desire, I think the system of morals and His religion as He left them
to us the best the world ever saw or is likely to see.”